Wiebe Wakker

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Nederland
Haarlem
Wiebe Wakker

I'm Wiebe Wakker. I drove from the Netherlands to Australia in an electric car and I didn't spend a dime. Buckle up; it's going to be a hilarious ride!

Now I travel the world as a speaker, sharing my adventures and misadventures, all without stepping on a plane. Hello, I'm Wiebe Wakker, think of me as an eco-friendly Phileas Fogg. I drove from the Netherlands to Australia in an electric car called the Blue Bandit and didn't spend a dime. It's true, I'm as thrifty with my travel budget as I am with carbon emissions! Now, I travel the world as a speaker, sharing my adventures and misadventures, all without stepping on a plane.

03/05/2026

Ik reisde zonder geld naar Australië in een elektrische auto. 95.000 km, 33 landen, slapen bij zo’n 350 mensen thuis.

Klinkt als een groot avontuur. Was het ook. Heel veel op mijn pad gekomen, veel meegemaakt. Maar het vergde ook heel veel van me.

Drie jaar lang was ik elke dag “aan”. Nieuwe mensen, hetzelfde verhaal vertellen, geen privacy. Continu onzekerheidL niet weten waar je gaat slapen, geen idee waar ik mijn auto vandaag kon opladen. Dat brak me op een gegeven moment op.

Met vertel ik daar ook uitgebreid over. Geen klaagverhaal trouwens, het avontuur en al het moois wat het mij heeft gebracht en nog steeds brengt ook uitvoerig besproken.

Een hele eer dat ik voor het Zondagsinterview ben gevraagd. Link naar het hele artikel staat in bio.

02/05/2026

April was also a month.

07/04/2026

Today, 7 years ago, I finished my journey of driving an electric car from the Netherlands to Australia. A day I will never forget.

Before this trip I was a broke student with no career or plan, no audience. But with a borrowed EV and 200km range and the idea to drive from Amsterdam to Sydney without any money.

The plan: a website where strangers could offer me a meal, a bed, or electricity. The route would follow those offers. Illogical, unplanned, entirely dependent on people I’d never met.

After 3 years and 1 month, 33 countries and 95,000km I crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a parade of electric vehicles, TV helicopters broadcasting the finish live on national tv and even global media like BBC, Bloomberg, the Guardian, Sky.

My favourite headline came from Rubert Murduch’s newspaper: “Non-flying Dutchman wastes 3 years.”

When I stood there in front of the Opera House I could only think of the the countless acts of kindness I received from hundreds of strangers along the way: ordinary people offering me a place to stay, food or help with the many problems I had.

People warned me before I left: “you will get robbed, car stolen, kidnapped.” None of that happened.

What I gained instead: a deep, unshakeable trust in people, across cultures, backgrounds, borders and a career I never could have planned.

Rupert can keep his headline. I kept everything else.

01/04/2026

Proud to announce that KLM chose me as their Sustainability Ambassador. Having travelled over 40+ countries on 4 continents without flying, they decided to honour me.

This plane will fly weekly on their new route between Amsterdam and Sydney.

Thank you and for this honour.

31/03/2026

They said have a break… what’s the problem?

15/03/2026

Today, 10 years ago, I started my journey from the Netherlands to Australia in an electric car with no money. At a time when there was hardly any charging infrastructure and most people had never even seen an EV.

Looking back now, something else stands out. I drove through countries like Ukraine, Iran, the UAE and Myanmar. If I tried to follow the same route today, large parts of it simply wouldn’t be possible because of conflicts and instability.

At the time, I didn’t think much about geopolitics. I was focused on charging the car, finding a place to sleep and moving forward.

But the journey only worked because of trust. I depended on strangers for food, electricity and a bed. And people said yes, everywhere I went.

What also stayed with me: in several of the countries that are now closed or in conflict, I experienced some of the greatest hospitality. Ordinary people who were incredibly generous.

It’s painful to realize that those same people are now living with the consequences of political decisions far beyond their control.

Ten years later, that lesson still feels relevant to me: don’t confuse governments with people. Trust often lives at street level.

08/03/2026

Women deserve the world. I deserve the match.

26/02/2026

No filter used. My dentist will be proud, my dermatologist in panic. Went to a light festival. Not sure if this was a forest, an art exhibition, or a fever dream. Possibly all three.

10/10. Would recommend.

23/02/2026

No gold medal. No private jet. Did overtook a 10 year old. Went home by bike

28/01/2026

Everyone says 2016 was the last “normal” year. For me it was the year I made the least normal decision of my life.

I tried to drive an electric car to Australia with €0. Back then there was hardly charging infrastructure. 
Thought it would last a year or so. It turned into 3 years, 95,000 km, a book, and my job today.

Funny how life changes when you say yes to one slightly stupid idea.

21/01/2026

Ik sta met een mooi portret in de Kampioen van de ANWB. 5 portretten over verschillende reizigers, waarvan ik de ‘Elektrische Reiziger’ ben.

Het verhaal gaat over (je verwacht het niet) mijn reis en boek dat daar uit voortkwam: zonder geld en in een elektrische auto van NL naar Australië, met opvallend veel hulp van anderen.

Mijn boek Plug Me In is vanaf nu ook te verkrijgen via de webwinkel van de ANWB. Niet slecht voor iets dat begon als een afstudeerexperiment.

Blij mee! Dank aan de redactie

Adres

Haarlem

Website

http://www.wiebewakker.com/, http://www.plugmeinproject.com/

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